Chatbots have taken the world of digital marketing by storm in the past year. They’ve been referred to as the future of marketing, and alongside the new GDPR regulations, the death of email marketing.
Facebook is becoming “pay-to-play” but you can still reach your hard-earned followers with Messenger.
There are a billion people on facebook Messenger, and almost as many on WhatsApp. Why not interact with your customers right there?
What are chatbots?
A chatbot is a messenger that connects to your Facebook page and personally engages with your followers. They can take care of basic customer service, they can book appointments, and they can even sell products for you right there in Facebook Messenger.
“~90% of our time on mobile is spent on email and messaging platforms. I would love to back teams that build stuff for places where the consumers hang out!” — Niko Bonatsos
The benefits of chatbots are numerous, but some of the main ones include:
1. Available 24/7
I’m sure most of you have spent untold amounts of time on hold to a sales or customer service agent waiting for the answer of a question that is constantly asked, The average person spends 7 minutes until they are assigned to a customer service or sales agent. Chatbots can handle any number of ongoing interactions and will continue to operate every hour of every day, throughout the year, without taking a break. This improves your customer satisfaction and helps you rank highly in your sector. Imagine instant 24/7 customer service.
If a customer walked into your store and asked you a question, Would you make them wait 4 hours to respond to them?
Then why let the same thing happen online?
2. They automate away repetitive work
Chatbots can automate processes like gathering leads, showcasing your products for potential customers right inside of facebook messenger, booking appointments on WhatsApp, or processing entire purchases. Big savings are available for businesses if chatbots can reduce the number of agents answering answering the same queries over and over!
3. People Engage With Them
Chatbots have much higher open rates than email because of their interactive and immediate response. They asks questions in real time and be able to solve customer problem with ease. People don’t have to wait to get their answers.
With chatbots, you are opening up a whole new channel of communication to do things like engaging more prospects, answer customer questions, and gather leads. It can lead to hotter leads that are hungry for information regarding a product or service. This is not to say email doesn’t work, but email is both more passive and intrusive for direct communication.
4. Personalisation
Reading through this, you have probably stopped to think at one point.
“But my business is a small business, and the personal touch is our competitive edge against these bigger companies!”
And you’re not wrong. You’re right! Using chatbots doesn’t mean you are giving up your personal touch. Chatbots can be as personal as you need them to be, and customers prefer it that way! Creating a pleasant chatbot interface and unique experience will enhance the efficiency of the chatbot across the board.
5. Customer Satisfaction
With instantaneous replies, laser focused purpose, and a novel experience, well designed chatbots have been shown to not only increase customer satisfaction, but also leave a positive impact with the customer experience.
Will it be effective for my business?
From local gyms, to large eCommerce stores, chatbots have shown again and again to be a dramatic improvement over email. And as for standard facebook marketing, while it has its place, did you know Facebook has been decreasing the number of people who see your posts? Even if you have thousands of followers, only a small percentage of them will see your posts unless you pay Facebook.
I can’t code, how do I get one?
You can work with a bot agency like Upfront Digital and have your own customised bot made for your Facebook page.
So, if you would like to have a chat about how chatbots might help your businesses online strategy, please just get in touch with us here at Upfront Digital.
